The Process of Formation of the International Concept of Protection and Return of Historical and Cultural Values in the Aftermath of the Second World War

Abstract

The paper researches the process of forming an international concept of protection and return of historical and cultural values after the ending of the Second World War. The aftermath of the Second World War did not become the starting point for creating an international concept of the protection of cultural heritage. The mentioned problem has been widely discussed at the international level since the nineteenth century. However, the losses caused by the Second World War could not be compared with the losses of any of the wars. Under the influence of understanding the huge losses that the world community had experienced, in particular in the field of culture, the ideas of protecting cultural assets had gained a new wave of development.

New threats of the large-scale conflicts that could potentially arise in the world had led the United Nations to find ways to resolve the cultural issue and preserve the cultural heritage of the world.

As a result of the work of the United Nations, a number of conventions were developed that had declared the main, basic principles of international cooperation so that governments, authorities, organizations, associations and institutions responsible for cultural activities should be constantly guided by those principles and, as a consequence, ensured a gradual achievement of peace and prosperity, that was, the goal set out in the UN Charter, through the cooperation of all nations in the sphere of education, science and culture.

In addition, the content and significance of the UN conventions adopted under the aegis of UNESCO and ratified by the UN member states in terms of their impact on the protection and preservation of the cultural heritage of the world are analyzed.